{"id":275806,"date":"2026-06-23T22:35:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/275806\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T22:35:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T22:35:14","slug":"new-york-schools-still-lack-details-on-graduation-requirements-after-regents-exams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/275806\/","title":{"rendered":"New York schools still lack details on graduation requirements after Regents exams"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sign up for Chalkbeat New York\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to get essential news about NYC\u2019s public schools delivered to your inbox.<\/p>\n

By next fall, the majority of students in New York high schools will not be required to pass the state\u2019s Regents exams to earn a diploma, a major shift that state officials hope will reshape teaching and learning. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s just one problem: The state Education Department has not yet revealed what the new graduation requirements will look like \u2014 even as the Class of 2027 will be the last cohort that must pass the exams to graduate under the current timeline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That disconnect is alarming advocates and educators who worry that schools will not have enough time to seamlessly transition to new graduation standards.<\/p>\n

In interviews and responses to a Chalkbeat survey<\/a>, educators and families said they felt confused about the transition and unsure what it means for their schools. One member of the state Board of Regents, Hasoni Pratts, said during a public meeting this month<\/a> that her own child is unclear on whether they need to pass the exams. <\/p>\n

\u201cTeachers are going to need time to figure out what the requirements are and how to translate that,\u201d said Robert Effinger, a teacher at the Bronx High School of Business. Right now, he said, \u201cThere\u2019s no information.\u201d<\/p>\n

State officials have been planning for years<\/a> to transition away from the Regents, exit exams that date back to the mid-1800s. In their place, state officials have outlined a list of six high-level attributes students must have to graduate, known as the \u201cportrait of a graduate,\u201d<\/a> such as effective communication skills and critical thinking. Students will be able to demonstrate those skills in a wider variety of ways, such as research projects and internships, state officials have said.<\/p>\n

Many educators have cheered the move away from graduation exams, which research suggests<\/a> do little to promote student learning and have fallen out of favor across the country. The move could free them up to ditch test prep and pursue more creative learning experiences and hands-on projects. Several also hope it will help quell some students\u2019 test anxiety.<\/p>\n

Educators pointed to existing models of how to assess students in other ways. Some schools have waivers from the state Regents exams and rely on performance-based assessments,<\/a> where students give presentations \u2014 but those efforts, educators say, require lots of planning and buy-in. International baccalaureate schools<\/a> also have a well-developed system of assessments and emphasizes collaboration with peers and applying learning to real-world contexts. Again, that approach requires extensive teacher training and support.<\/p>\n

Samantha Schmoeger, the principal at The Boerum Hill School for International Studies, which uses the IB curriculum, said she appreciates that the state is planning to allow students to demonstrate knowledge in a variety of ways, and she feels confident that the IB framework aligns with the state\u2019s changes. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat said, the uncertainty around future graduation requirements does present challenges,\u201d she wrote in an email. \u201cLong-term planning for curriculum, assessment systems, staffing, counseling, and student pathways requires clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

State is slow to share details on graduation changes<\/p>\n

State officials have emphasized that the transition away from Regents exams will be gradual \u2014 and local districts may continue to use them as one possible graduation pathway even after the new requirements take hold.<\/p>\n

A state Education Department spokesperson indicated that officials will reveal more details about the standards early next school year and are collecting input from stakeholders this summer.<\/p>\n

The new graduation measures \u2014 along with overhauled credit requirements<\/a> \u2014 will fully take effect for students who enter high school in 2029.<\/p>\n

State officials recently suggested that schools should begin experimenting<\/a> with different ways of assessing students and boosting access to opportunities like work-based learning, even before the actual graduation requirements are available. They\u2019ve secured $2 million to help schools adapt to new graduation requirements and are requesting additional grant and state funding. <\/p>\n

We’re on a need-to-know basis.<\/p>\n

Every weekday morning, Chalkbeat New York is bringing thousands of subscribers the news on public schools and education policy that they need to start their day. Sign up for our free newsletter to join them.<\/p>\n

Multiple school leaders said they are reluctant to make changes before the state releases more details. Some are wary of telling families that the Regents will no longer be required because they want students to still take them seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all sort of in limbo,\u201dsaid one Brooklyn high school principal, who spoke on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n

As Regents exams exit, equity concerns rise<\/p>\n

The transition away from Regents exams has prompted concerns from some educators and advocates about maintaining consistent standards across hundreds of school districts and thousands of schools. <\/p>\n

Erick Espin, a teacher at Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning, said his school already emphasizes fieldwork, expeditions, case studies, and project-based learning. More recently it introduced career-focused programs through FutureReadyNYC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But he worries that if schools have more control over graduation measures \u2014 along with pressure to keep graduation rates high \u2014 there may be incentives for schools to push students to graduate even if they haven\u2019t mastered key skills. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe state needs to strongly consider how to more objectively evaluate the skills of New York students,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Effinger, the Bronx high school teacher, raised a similar concern. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be too easy to set up a race to the bottom for graduation requirements without serious guardrails,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

State officials said there will be protections to ensure graduation standards are applied equitably. \u201cThis is not about lowering standards,\u201d Board of Regents Chancellor Lester Young said earlier this month. \u201cThis is about redefining how all of our students meet the standard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without a detailed plan, some advocates are wary.<\/p>\n

Alren Benjamin-Gomez, the executive director of the advocacy group Education Trust-New York, said the state is setting up a \u201cwild west\u201d where schools are trying to guess how to prepare for the new graduation system. <\/p>\n

It makes sense to move away from the Regents exams, Benzamin-Gomez said, but she would like to see a new system that is \u201crigorous and comparable across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reality is that an alternative is actually challenging to create,\u201d she added. But \u201cI think it\u2019s poor policy, I think it\u2019s poor rollout, I think it\u2019s poor implementation to leave people so unclear on what is the new approach,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Alex Zimmerman is a senior reporter for Chalkbeat New York, covering NYC public schools. Contact Alex at azimmerman@chalkbeat.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Amy Zimmer is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat New York. Contact Amy at azimmer@chalkbeat.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sign up for Chalkbeat New York\u2019s free daily newsletter to get essential news about NYC\u2019s public schools delivered…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158396,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[36082,44771,9,11,10,1232,8568,37403],"class_list":["post-275806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-boy","tag-graduation","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-people","tag-person","tag-young-man"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}